Wednesday morning, defense attorneys continued to call character witnesses to bolster their argument that Ross Harris has a strong family-oriented background.
Co-workers and church friends were included among those who took the stand in his defense.
This was even as prosecutors continued to try to paint Harris as a man living a double life -- as a loving father on one hand, and a sex-addicted man engaged in risky behavior on the other.
After a morning filled with these character witnesses, court ended early Wednesday because other defense witnesses would not be ready to take the stand until Thursday morning.
Among those taking the stand on Thursday will be experts, some called to debunk some of the police witnesses called earlier by the prosecution, including the testimony of police Detective Phil Stoddard, the primary investigator on the case.
Emotions ran high in the Glynn County courthouse as Leanna Taylor concluded on her testimony Tuesday afternoon.
Although she was testifying in favor of the defense and adamantly stood by her belief that Cooper’s death was nothing more than an accident, towards the end of her two day testimony she admitted to the jury she was fine with never seeing the defendant again.
“He ruined my life. He destroyed my life… "If I never see him again in my life after this day, that's fine." Taylor stated before storming out of the witness stand.
The defense then called a number of character witnesses to the stand including Leanna Taylor’s best friend, Harris’ brother and Taylor’s mother.
Although the witnesses stated how much of a loving father Ross Harris was to his son Cooper, the prosecution continued to point out the defendant’s double life and imply the character witnesses did not truly know who Harris was.
Ross Harris faces a number of charges, including malice murder and felony murder in the death of his young son, Cooper back in June 2014. The 22-month-old was found dead in the back seat of father’s SUV in a Vinings office park. The defense claims that the death of Cooper was a tragic accident.
PHOTOS | Ross Harris Hot Car Death Trial - Day 19
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